Interesting comment from Ainge to open his show this morning

#151
#151
Hacksaw said:
What? Caring?

And I guess you'd have to define "quickly". After 4 games, I'm not expecting a championship-calber team. But I would hope we could block and tackle and maybe hold onto the ball. And when our starting QB gets cheap-shot'd and knocked out of the game, it would be nice if our head coach seemed to care.

And while we're at it, I would hope he wouldn't have an altercation with a player whereby he and that player have diametrically opposed versions of the story and he just brushes it off like it is nothing. I think that could be pretty much a Day One expectation.
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Pruitt has said repeatedly that they go over ball control and tackling everyday in practice. Now, I guess he could be lying, but is there any proof he is? Not that I see. So, if he and the coaches are going over these things day in and day out, whats the problem? Its the players who just cant get it done. As far as how he acted about the hit on JG, if you believe he doesnt care then I would say you are insane. He didnt say or act like you wanted. So what. That doesnt mean anything.

The story with him and Sapp is nothing. They are dealing with it. Whats the problem? I mean it seems like you are nitpicking just to have something to complain about.
 
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#153
#153
Hacksaw said:
If they don't care, isn't it the responsibility of the head coach to rectify that? Oh, wait...Pruitt said in today's press conference that he didn't bother submitting video of that play to the conference office for review. He actually complimented the Florida player for playing hard. So, uh...yeah.
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The HC can only do so much, I agree CP should be the one to rectify the situation; however, given the state of the team - when he took over, a couple of seasons to turn the abortion butch left us around, does not seem unreasonable.
 
#154
#154
MikeVol44 said:
My post was not intended to attack Ainge....but the FACTS remain--and he admitted them himself....
Erik Ainge opens up about drug addiction

And I don't care what you say--a dude that admits to being addicted to drugs since he was 12 years old--and going around committing felonies in buying narcotics while at UT was NOT giving his ALL for the VOLS. And yes--it is and has always been a felony to sell/buy narcotics like hydrocodone on the street.

So--I would counsel Ainge to just shut the he&% up about any of the players at UT. He certainly doesn't have much room to talk!
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Forgiveness is a great thing. You should try it
 
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#157
#157
Freak said:
And don’t know if you remember @Larkin on here or not, but he and I have been having the rock bottom debate since about 2005. Lol.
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I think @Freak is right, when we started talking about it in 2005 we didn't know it was a false bottom. I think the question isn't where rock bottom is anymore because we have continued to bust through more layers. (we may see another layer this weekend) The real question is whether our beloved Tennessee Vols are ever going to be relevant in the SEC again and when.
 
#158
#158
BeecherVol said:
Which would have been asinine in a second year for a new HC. That year wasn't any worse that Bowdens bad years.

I'm not sure how you describe it but they were pretty average to bad for 2 decades prior to Swinney regardless of what they expect or whatever the see as advantages.
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I agree they weren't an elite program under Bowden and their last really good year was in the early 80s. However I'm not going to fault a program for having too high expectations if they have and are willing to commit resources to a program, are located in a good area for recruiting, and have a big fanbase. Clemson has all of those things, they applied pressure to Dabo, and he has delivered. Even if Clemson hadn't been elite before, they were correct to believe that they possessed the resources and commitment to be elite.

There are a lot of people who apply your logic to Tennessee's current situation, and Tennessee has been elite before (haven't been good in 20 years, should be satisfied with 9-3, etc.).
 
#159
#159
MikeVol44 said:
While I agree with the sentiment Ainge expresses--frankly, it means nothing coming from him--the dope-head who stumbled and bumbled most of his college FB time at UT high on multiple prescription and other drugs.... Hard to give your all for Tennessee when you're on drugs.

I certainly am glad that he is clean and has turned his life around--but he ought not be throwing stones when he spent most of his time at UT failing to give his ALL for the program. Flame away.......
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What a friggin ******* you are. A player who gives his body to win games for your team, incurs numerous injuries and gets hooked on prescribed meds to deal with pain.
Maybe you’ll do is all a favor and get hit by a bus today.
 
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#160
#160
BigOrangeTrain said:
Pruitt has said repeatedly that they go over ball control and tackling everyday in practice. Now, I guess he could be lying, but is there any proof he is? Not that I see. So, if he and the coaches are going over these things day in and day out, whats the problem? Its the players who just cant get it done. As far as how he acted about the hit on JG, if you believe he doesnt care then I would say you are insane. He didnt say or act like you wanted. So what. That doesnt mean anything.

The story with him and Sapp is nothing. They are dealing with it. Whats the problem? I mean it seems like you are nitpicking just to have something to complain about.
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This was one of the only teams to not have a turnover in their first two games. I guess they are making up for it.
 
#161
#161
Iam4utalways said:
I didn’t catch that quote. Paraphrase if you will.
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After the first home game against ETSU, on the CJP show, Blob asked him "What were his thoughts about running through the T for the first time?"
Pruitt replied "It was different". Just as blank faced as a serial killer on trial. Blob had NO CLUE how to follow up. It was like he turned to the camera and said "Well... Ok then. THanks coach."
 
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#162
#162
PSA: Somebody wake me up when KONGBO either gets a sack or a tackle for loss................man ol man, that kid talked all that SMACK coming in to UT and he can't even get off blocks...
 
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#163
#163
EODVOL said:
In all fairness, that first real hit that JG took was a blitz off the left side that Ty Chandler didn't pick up, instead he chose to help DWA who was beat off the snap. Personally, I am a big London fan and wished he would have gotten more touches.
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Why? London is slow, and doesn’t break tackles. I’d roll with chandler and banks. The other two are just to slow to make an impact in an sec game.
 
#164
#164
05_never_again said:
I agree they weren't an elite program under Bowden and their last really good year was in the early 80s. However I'm not going to fault a program for having too high expectations if they have and are willing to commit resources to a program, are located in a good area for recruiting, and have a big fanbase. Clemson has all of those things, they applied pressure to Dabo, and he has delivered. Even if Clemson hadn't been elite before, they were correct to believe that they possessed the resources and commitment to be elite.

There are a lot of people who apply your logic to Tennessee's current situation, and Tennessee has been elite before (haven't been good in 20 years, should be satisfied with 9-3, etc.).
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Did pressure force Dabo to be a better coach? Dabo was green as goose $#i+ when he was hired to be the HC. To that point he was a career position coach. His problem wasn't that he needed to be pressured, he needed time. The last guy showed that 8 or 9 wasn't gonna get it. I doubt he was oblivious to that when he took the job.
The point was that if they were willing to ride with Bowden (and he had two 6 win seasons in his first 6 years) and his best was 9 wins then freaking out over Dabo's one 6 win season (his second as a HC) was asinine. At that point in history Clemson talking about "commitment" , "resources", and "fans" after hiring a WR coach to run their program is comical. They gambled and it paid off.

You re misrepresenting my stance woefully. Im not suggesting Clemson (or Tennessee) should have been or should be satisfied with 9 wins being the best. I am however stating that Clemson didn't have any idea if that was his best after 2 seasons and had they fired him they would have gotten what they deserved more than likely. Another decade of mediocre.
 
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#165
#165
BeecherVol said:
Did pressure force Dabo to be a better coach? Dabo was green as goose $#i+ when he was hired to be the HC. To that point he was a career position coach. His problem wasn't that he needed to be pressured, he needed time. The last guy showed that 8 or 9 wasn't gonna get it. I doubt he was oblivious to that when he took the job.
The point was that if they were willing to ride with Bowden (and he had a 6 win seasons in his first 6 years) and his best was 9 wins then freaking out over Dabo's one 6 win season (his second as a HC) was asinine. At that point in history Clemson talking about "commitment" , "resources", and "fans" after hiring a WR coach to run their program is comical. They gambled and it paid off.

Your misrepresenting my stance woefully. Im not suggesting Clemson (or Tennessee) should have been or should be satisfied with 9 wins being the best. I am however stating that Clemson didn't have any idea if that was his best after 2 seasons and had they fired him they would have gotten what they deserved more than likely. Another decade of mediocre.
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living in the carolinas, there was a sentiment among clemson fans that were not happy with Dabo early on. and even when they went to that Orange bowl, had a great season, got to a BCS game...getting waxed by WVU didn't sit well.

at that point, there was a chunk of that fan base, that simply thought between bowden and Dabo, those two guys could get you to the game, but they couldn't win the big game.

to your point, no, they didn't know. they've been rewarded for their patience.

i'm still patiently waiting for mine. and i guess ill have to continue to do so.........:)
 
#166
#166
BeecherVol said:
The point was that if they were willing to ride with Bowden (and he had two 6 win seasons in his first 6 years) and his best was 9 wins then freaking out over Dabo's one 6 win season (his second as a HC) was asinine. At that point in history Clemson talking about "commitment" , "resources", and "fans" after hiring a WR coach to run their program is comical. They gambled and it paid off.
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Rightly or wrongly at some point in the recent Clemson's expectations really started to increase. They wanted to win the ACC and Bowden couldn't deliver that. When Dabo was hired a lot of their own fans scoffed at it and thought they weren't trying hard enough because as you said, he was just a position coach. I think he built up some goodwill when he almost won the ACC in 2009, his first full season, but he threw it all away in 2010 when he regressed and went 6-6. At that point they took his hands off the program and made him hire top assistants. And it wasn't just Morris...in 2011 after they won the ACC and made it to a BCS bowl (a really good season), their defense got annihilated by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl and they made him fire Steele. They were pretty clear that even winning the ACC and getting to a BCS bowl wasn't good enough anymore, and they weren't going to accept being totally embarrassed like that even if they had a good season prior to that. They made a decision when they fired Bowden and made Dabo the coach that their expectations were going to be elevated.
 
#167
#167
BigOrangeTrain said:
Pruitt has said repeatedly that they go over ball control and tackling everyday in practice. Now, I guess he could be lying, but is there any proof he is? Not that I see. So, if he and the coaches are going over these things day in and day out, whats the problem? Its the players who just cant get it done. As far as how he acted about the hit on JG, if you believe he doesnt care then I would say you are insane. He didnt say or act like you wanted. So what. That doesnt mean anything.

The story with him and Sapp is nothing. They are dealing with it. Whats the problem? I mean it seems like you are nitpicking just to have something to complain about.
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The story with him and Sapp is the most troubling event so far -- even more troubling than the 6 turnovers, IMO.

Seems like most fans are assuming that Sapp is lying, even though Pruitt hasn't bothered to explain the opposing versions of what happened. They can't both be right. Pruitt's repeated praise of Sapp in response to direct questions seems kind of weaselly to me. I'd be willing to bet that the team knows exactly what happened. And if Sapp is NOT lying then it's the kind of thing that could really cause problems between the players and the new coach down the road. Sapp's character was questioned and the accusation made national news. Sapp almost certainly won't say more. He's already taken the almost unprecedented step of publicly contradicting his head coach in the media. Somebody's lying and we'd better hope it's not Pruitt. If so, his failure to set the record straight will be viewed as a betrayal and a complete lack of respect for a 4th year player who has played a lot of snaps and is probably very tight with his teammates.

And as far as the accusation of nitpicking...seriously?
 
#168
#168
05_never_again said:
Rightly or wrongly at some point in the recent Clemson's expectations really started to increase. They wanted to win the ACC and Bowden couldn't deliver that. When Dabo was hired a lot of their own fans scoffed at it and thought they weren't trying hard enough because as you said, he was just a position coach. I think he built up some goodwill when he almost won the ACC in 2009, his first full season, but he threw it all away in 2010 when he regressed and went 6-6. At that point they took his hands off the program and made him hire top assistants. And it wasn't just Morris...in 2011 after they won the ACC and made it to a BCS bowl (a really good season), their defense got annihilated by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl and they made him fire Steele. They were pretty clear that even winning the ACC and getting to a BCS bowl wasn't good enough anymore, and they weren't going to accept being totally embarrassed like that even if they had a good season prior to that. They made a decision when they fired Bowden and made Dabo the coach that their expectations were going to be elevated.
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It wasn't wrong to raise expectations for what they wanted. No different than here.

But when you fire your HC and replace him with your WR coach, 1. You re taking a very odd and questionable approach. 2. If it works out, your ending expectations are not gonna be met at the beginning.

They took a shot, stuck with it and it worked out. The reason why he was questionable from the beginning is because it doesnt always work out like that.
 
#169
#169
Hacksaw said:
The story with him and Sapp is the most troubling event so far -- even more troubling than the 6 turnovers, IMO.

Seems like most fans are assuming that Sapp is lying, even though Pruitt hasn't bothered to explain the opposing versions of what happened. They can't both be right. Pruitt's repeated praise of Sapp in response to direct questions seems kind of weaselly to me. I'd be willing to bet that the team knows exactly what happened. And if Sapp is NOT lying then it's the kind of thing that could really cause problems between the players and the new coach down the road. Sapp's character was questioned and the accusation made national news. Sapp almost certainly won't say more. He's already taken the almost unprecedented step of publicly contradicting his head coach in the media. Somebody's lying and we'd better hope it's not Pruitt. If so, his failure to set the record straight will be viewed as a betrayal and a complete lack of respect for a 4th year player who has played a lot of snaps and is probably very tight with his teammates.

And as far as the accusation of nitpicking...seriously?
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Sapp saw his future going away as he did not play the first half. Sitting behind a bad performance is hard to stomach. What does it say about you?
 
#170
#170
jakez4ut said:
living in the carolinas, there was a sentiment among clemson fans that were not happy with Dabo early on. and even when they went to that Orange bowl, had a great season, got to a BCS game...getting waxed by WVU didn't sit well.

at that point, there was a chunk of that fan base, that simply thought between bowden and Dabo, those two guys could get you to the game, but they couldn't win the big game.

to your point, no, they didn't know. they've been rewarded for their patience.

i'm still patiently waiting for mine. and i guess ill have to continue to do so.........:)
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I could understand the questioning of Dabo from the beginning (especially if your are making a new commitment to winning) given where his career was at the time.

At that point you have 2 different sets of expectations.
1. Where you want to be
2. What your new coach is capable of at the moment.

Expecting him to be leaps and bounds better than what you had been for 20 years in 2 seasons was silly and probably part of the reason why you were where you were.
 
#171
#171
BeecherVol said:
Expecting him to be leaps and bounds better than what you had been for 20 years in 2 seasons was silly and probably part of the reason why you were where you were.
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agreed.

i think we've hit the same point in our history. ugh.
 
#172
#172
BeecherVol said:
It wasn't wrong to raise expectations for what they wanted. No different than here.

But when you fire your HC and replace him with your WR coach, 1. You re taking a very odd and questionable approach. 2. If it works out, your ending expectations are not gonna be met at the beginning.

They took a shot, stuck with it and it worked out. The reason why he was questionable from the beginning is because it doesnt always work out like that.
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I agree it was an odd approach but one that happened to work out for them. I honestly don't know why they gave Dabo the permanent job in the first place. Maybe the players loved him and they feared a revolt if they didn't give it to him. That's about the only reason I can figure. There was absolutely nothing in his resume that indicated he was ready to be the head coach at any P5 school, much less Clemson. If I were a Clemson fan I would have questioned whether or not they were practicing what they were preaching, but it started to become apparent they were when they started hiring high-powered assistants and making them some of the highest paid assistants in the country.
 
#174
#174
Longsufferingvol said:
I'm behind Pruitt and this staff 110%, but to say nobody wanted this job is inaccurate. Please stop telling that lie. It's a matter of fact that we could have had Jeff Brohm or Mike Leach and both of those guys would have been great choices as well.
At the time, I wanted Mike Leach because he already has years of head coaching experience, is a brilliant offensive mind, and has a history of winning with less talent.
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And neither of the guys you mentioned are at big time programs. I get your point but I see his as well. No established coach capable of turning the program around would want to come here.
 
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